Flame-assisted fuel cells running methane

• Published in: International journal of hydrogen energy Vol. 40; no. 13; pp. 4659 - 4665
• Main Authors: Wang, Kang, Milcarek, Ryan J., Zeng, Pingying, Ahn, Jeongmin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United Kingdom Elsevier Ltd 13.04.2015; Elsevier
• Subjects: Carbon; Chambers; Density; Flame; Flame-assisted fuel cell; Fuel cells; Fuels; Methane; Outlets; Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC); Solid oxide fuel cells; Methane; Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC); Flame-assisted fuel cell; Flame
• ISSN: 0360-3199; 1879-3487
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2015.01.128

In this study, the flame-assisted fuel cell (FFC1) was investigated by using methane/air flames. The confrontation between FFC temperature and fuel concentration at various conditions was investigated which uncovered the complex behavior of FFCs performance. Variations in fuel/air equivalence ratio, fuel flow rate and distance between FFC and burner outlet were studied. A critical distance for FFC placement above the burner outlet was uncovered, which has a significant impact on FFC performance. A high power density of 791 mW cm−2 was achieved which is comparable to the dual chamber solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and single chamber SOFC. The short-term test exhibited good stability of the FFCs under operation despite the presence of carbon formation on the anode surface. •There is a critical distance between the burner outlet and FFC in which the performance is negatively affected.•FFC power density and current density display a convex relationship while varying the fuel equivalence ratio.•The FFC power density achieved was comparable to DC-SOFC and SC-SOFC performance.